Tag: #persist

What if’s can be exciting, concerning, scary or life changing. So, when I get to imagining the future it can be extremely exciting or scary depending on how my emotions are at that moment. I have been thinking about where I am putting my effort and energy, it feels exciting! I am putting in a great deal of time, energy and creativity into moving forward to the future I hope to create.

I would love to have a chance to facilitate change in my community as the Representative for my district. I love my community, I love the small towns with great people. I love how everyone I meet truly cares about each other and bettering our rural way of life.

The books Stacy and I are writing have been a big part of our lives for the past several years. We have invested a large chunk time pursing the dream of helping others. It took time to define the purpose of the message we wanted to convey. We did it by supporting each other and fostering strong relationships not only with each other but in all our relationships.

We want the Adventure Sisters philosophy to be defined as nurturing. By learning to love ourselves as we are, leveling up, and encouraging others to be authentic while accepting everyone for who they are too. We promote Learning to love others because of our differences, not in of spite them!

We are all different for a reason, celebrating uniqueness helps others believe in themselves. When you believe in yourself, you believe you can do things others may not be able too. When people are encouraged and supported they try small things to better life, this benefits everyone around you.

These small acts of bravery, kindness, and love multiplied by everyone in the world could and would make the world a better place for all of us. The Adventure Sisters know that even just a little effort helps the world be a better place.

Yet when my imagination gets going, I think what if?! What if I do all this work, invest all this time, money and energy into pursuing my dreams and… I end up being exactly where I started this time next year? What if we don’t end up where we thought we would? Will I be able to handle disappointment if I fail? I will.

What I know is at this point in my life, is that it is scarier for me not to try to succeed doing what I love, then to worry about failing. I have this opportunity to reach for the stars while being brave enough to be authentically me. Choosing to level up by doing more then I thought I could.

I know I must accept the outcome as it is, not how I thought it would look. The thing about life is you don’t know how it will look when you get where you are going. Then when you are finally ‘there’ most of the time you are already reaching for something else.

Is this the point in my story where I talk myself out of the negative what if’s? Is this when I give myself the advice I would give to a friend and say,

“This! This is where you are supposed to enjoy the moment. Enjoy today as it is! Choose to really take in the excitement and emotions of how it feels to take baby steps in the directions of big dreams! It is okay to be terrified and excited all at the same time.”

The uncertainness of my future concerns me. Most days I talk myself into believing I will reach these goals. I tell myself I am emotionally strong, hardworking, kind and big-hearted woman that can do anything I put my mind to.

On the days when I don’t see any progress, reward or feel unsupported, those days feel very different. That’s when the what if’s sneak in. Today I won’t allow my active imagination to scramble the energy of my big beautiful dreams of a healthy happy life, community and world. The Universe is listening to my vibration, I know it’s best to keep my thoughts positive.

What if I do succeed? What if I do win the election? What if we do get a publishing contract? What if I get the chance to be the change I wish to see in the world? What if my dreams come true? What will I do with my life then? I would then be starting two new careers both very different but truly having a direct impact on the world around me. Holy Moly…. What if?!

What if I get to live the life of my dreams right here in the community I love? Doing exactly what I like to do, by just being authentically me?! That would be exactly what an Adventure Sister would do!

And so, it is.

p.s. We did not win the publishing contest, but we will not let that keep us down. The Adventure Sisters will keep on putting one foot in front of the other until we get to where we are going! Once we get there, well that will be the beginning of yet another adventure!

I have a wide range of interests that keep me busy, my day job is rewarding and makes me feel purposeful, yet I still feel pushed by Spirit to do more. I have been writing books with my Adventure Sister Stacy with the hope and purpose of helping others grow, and learn, in ways that are helpful in everyday life. We would like to use our series of books to promote the importance of working together while encouraging our differences, in sisterhood, family, friendship, and in all areas of life while caring for each other and the planet.

We have been pursuing this goal for several years and we are smack dab in the middle of working hard for no ‘reward’ except the reward is that it feels right to our souls. It is the heartfelt passion and our will to help the greater good with our writing that keeps our project moving forward, one baby step after another. We are determined to make it happen.

I also have dreams of traveling the globe far and wide, gaining experiences of other places and cultures while writing about it on my hobby farm that will rescue farm animals, bees, chickens, cows, donkey, goats, you name it. I dream that this farm will be fully functioning while being surrounded by a magnificent permaculture food oasis for my family complete with a Walipini for winter gardening. You’re probably thinking “You’re nuts girl! Do you know how much work that is?!”

Yes, I do. I am aware of the insanity that drives me forward, it is my crazy creative life that keeps me dreaming these goals. I feel the pull to add in a little mix of corporate to my creative goals, I have been moved to explore the political world feeling the need to stand up to the injustices I see and now I am considering a run to represent my local district. Because why wouldn’t you add more work on top of the work you already have?!

During my spare time I refinish and repurpose old décor that can be brought to life and funkdified into something wonderful. I have a whole basement workshop full of half finished projects I would like to complete so I could sell them in a small boutique for extra travel money. Also, I create random pieces of art when called to do so. Did you see that?! Squirrel!

Is it possible to be a State Representative, Therapist, Author, Sanctuary Farmer, Permaculture enthusiast and Artist all at the same time? What keeps me holding on to these dreams while some of them have nothing to do with the other? Could I possibly find the time, money, and energy to pursue all of them? Would Spirit give me the desire to do all these things if it weren’t possible?

It would be possible to write and have a farm sanctuary that would be a dream come true. Yet like most people I still have a day job that pays the bills and we all know that’s just a little important if you like to eat. Like I said, I enjoy my ‘job’ it doesn’t feel like work because I find it rewarding. Yet I still aspire to do so much more, to live more sustainably in a way that supports my inner truth. Would I still be able to give my family and friends the time and attention they need to keep healthy happy relationships in the pursuit of my truth?

What goals are truly attainable? And which goals should I pull my energy from? I believe time is the most precious commodity humans are given, so I would like to put my ambitions into the things that will have the best outcome for my highest and greatest good. I am human and do not know what the future will bring, but I do know what I would like my future to look like. Goals, dreams and aspirations are good to have right?!

My husband is not on board with my hobby farm dreams unless he is guaranteed not to have to do any of the work. I understand this because these are not his dreams, they are mine, and it would not be fair to push them on to him and take up his time that is also his commodity to do with as he pleases. He still loves me, encourages me, and supports me in pursuit of my goals, and that’s what matters. I also realize I cannot achieve these goals alone.

Do I take the dreams and goals I can accomplish by myself and run with them? Do I then sacrifice the rest of my goals to the boulevard of broken dreams where what if’s live forever? Or… do I get to work recruiting the help I need? Did you know I hate to ask for help? Insert exasperated sign here. The self-imposed drama I tell you! Stacy just reminded me that the more I believe my dreams will come true the more likely they will be manifested! I know she is right. I must insist and persist, if I want them to exist!

I believe in manifestation, yet lately I feel that maybe I am trying to manifest too much??? Is that even possible to have too many dreams? I call BS on that thought. We are only on this planet for a short time, there is only so much we can accomplish that’s why what we chose to spend our time doing should be purposeful and meaningful. I believe we should pursue the things that bring us joy, contentment, and purpose that will fill our souls with resolve to persevere because it is your dream and you must.

To live in my integrity while it feels like I am chasing squirrels I will call on the spirit of my Dogs to see me through to fruition. Dogs are a great representative of dedication to what you love, they are steadfast in what they believe in and that is usually you. They are consistent, persistent, and insistent every day as reliable as the sun. If my dogs can believe in me so wholly and my families support is consistent, why can’t I believe in myself the same way?

These dreams are a way to support myself through living with purpose, to live in integrity with my beliefs feels vital at this point in my life. I believe the things that call to my soul and tug at my feelings, are my callings, they should at the very minimum be pursued until I clearly see that path isn’t for me. To know that I could fail but keep my hopes up that I will not. I see that Billy goat portage in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area is once again a poignant lesson in my life.

Billy goat portage was hard, very difficult for both of the Adventure Sisters, we did not anticipate the physical, and mental challenges that it gave us that day. We had brought so much stuff that we had to travel this difficult path six times to bring all our gear to the next portage. The Billy goat portage path taught me I am capable of doing way more then I think I can. It taught me that by keeping my head down in pursuit of just making it to the end, watching my footing and being careful not to trip up, I made it to the other side just fine. Having to travel that same obstacle six times makes me laugh in the comparison of persistence and dedication most goals and dreams require.

When Stacy and I got to the five-star campsite we were exhausted and starving we would spend the next five days nurturing our beaten and battered bodies while basking in the sun and floating in the lake, enjoying each other’s company and eating very well because we carried a ton of food in! It was the most rewarding vacation full of pride in our accomplishments, the teamwork built our trust and proved to us both we could rely on each other when it was difficult.

I have a team around me that will do the same, so I feel I must pursue each one of these squirrely dreams until the sucker really truly gets too far up the tree and away from me. If it does get away I will then know it wasn’t my path, keep going on the journey where the doors open, there is no need to break them down the ones meant for me will be ajar.

So here I go again chasing garden squirrels today too, excuse me while I go start my petunia seeds! I love to play in the dirt in the middle of a Minnesota winter. It brings me joy.

Be consistent, Be persistent, Be insistent ~ Congressman John Lewis

Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in. – Senator Bill Bradley

*Disclaimer ~ the photograph used in this blog I found many years ago on the internet and do not know who to give photo credit to. If by chance it is you I would gladly add your name to the photo that moved my soul.